Mechanical baseball machine



- I 1,617,546 W.J.'$CHMID MECHANICAL BASEBALL MACHINE Filed Nov. 20 192E;

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WALTER J. SCI-IMID, or sr. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

MECHANICAL BASEBALL MACHINE.

Application filed November 20, 1925. Serial No. 70,326.

This invention relates to a toy in the form of a mechanical ball game, and has for its general object to provide a novel apparatus in the use of which a ball will be automatically projected toward a figure of a ball player supporting a bat, and the latter figure be operated at the proper time to cause the bat to engage the ball and knock it in a direction away from the figure.

Another object of the inventionrelates to mounting the bat adjustably on the figure of the ball player, whereby the ball may be knocked in various directions.

The invention is characterized by a base having the figure of a ball player mountedthereon at one end, and a ball-projecting devicevmounted at theiother end, said figures being suitably connected by a spring and lever mechanism mounted in the base and so relatedthat by manipulating a trigger, the levers will be automatically actuated in turn to cause the ball to be projected and the figure to be turned to bring the bat into engagement with the ball at the proper instant. e

. The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which gigure 1 is a perspective view of the toy; can

Figure 2 is a sectional plan view taken just below the top of the base ofthe toy.

The toy comprises a hollow metal base 1, having rotatably mounted thereon at one end a figure of a man 2 holding in his hands a bat 3, the arms of the figure being pivoted on the body, as indicated at 4. The figure is mounted on a rod 5 which is rotatably mounted in the top of the base and is secured at its lower end intermediate the ends of a lever 6. Secured to the outer end of the lever 6 is a coil spring 7 which is secured at 8 to the underside of the top of the base. At the opposite end of the base 1 from that containing the. figure 2, there is mounted a hollow standard 9 in which is rotatably mounted a rod 10 having a bent end 11 supporting a holder 12. This holder is substantially rectangular in shape, having its outer side open and its rear side outwardly flared or inclined, as indicated at 12 The purpose of this inclined end is to cause the ball to be thrown out of the holder by centrifugal force and to be projected in the direction of the bat 3. The rod 10 extends through the top of the base 1 and is secured at its lower end intermediate the ends of a lever 13. The numeral 14 indicates a spring arm which is fixedlyisecured at'1 5 on'the underside of the topof the base. At its outer end, this spring arm is adapted to engage the end of thelever 13 when it is turned to the position shown in Figure 2 against the resistance of spring 23. Connected at one end to this spring arm is a rod 16 which, at its other end, is connected to a trigger 17 pivotally mounted on the underside of the base and projecting upward through a slot therein, as shown inlFigure 1. The numeral 18 in icates a spring arm similar tothe spring arm 14, which is fiX- edly secured at one end to the underside of the top of-base 1, as indicated at 19. At;

its outer end, this spring arm .is provided with a shoulder 18 which is adapted to en gage the outer end of the-lever 6 when it is turned to the position shown in Figure 2 against the'resistance of spring/7.7 Secured to the outer end ofthe' spring arm 18 is a rod 20, which, at its other end, is connected to the outer end of a,bar-21,.which' is pivotally mounted at its other end on the underside of the base, as indicated at 22. A coil spring 23 is connected at one end to the "outer end of the lever 13;and at its inner end is fixedly secured to the underside ofthe base, as indicated at 24 In operation, a ball indicated by B, which may be a shot, or other small spherical body, is placed in the holder 12 and discharged in the direction of the figure 2, which is released in time to have the bat-3 hit the ball Y and knock it in a given direction. To this end, the toy is set by turning the figure2 clockwise, as shown in Figure 1, against resistance of spring 7, until the end of the lever 6 passes into engagement with the 14 from engagement with the end of the lever 13. When this is done, the spring 23 causes the lever 13 to swing around rapidly in the direction of the dotted line shown in Figure 2, which movement rotates the rod 10 and causes the holder 12 to swing around rapidly in the arm of a circle and dis- V The end of the arm 13 then strikes the bar 21, which causes the outer end thereof to pullon the'rod 20 and release the spring arm 18 from engagement with the end of the lever 6, whereupon the spring 7 causes the lever 16 to swing around rapidly in the arc of a circle, which causes the rod or upright 5, suppor-ting the figure'Q, to be turned rapidly and bring the bat 3 into engagement with the ball propelled by the holder 12. The operation is very ra-pich-butthe arrangement is such that the release of the lever 13 occurs at such period of time before the release of the lever :6 that the figure 2 will be turned to bring the batinto engagement with the ball. In other words, the ball is discharged slightly in advance ofthe movement of "the bat to meet it. By raising or lowering the azrmsot the fi ure on the pivot 4, the bat can be made to knock the ball in difi'erent directions.

Various modifications may be made in the apparatus without departing from the spirit 0f the invention, the broad idea of which is the provision of mechanism for projecting a ball in timed rela ion ,to the movement of .a figure carrying a bat, whereby the bat will be brought into engagement with the ball.

'I'claim: 1 v 1. A mechanical toy comprising 'a base having'a figure rotatably mounted at one end and carrying a bat, and .a holder rotatably mounted {at the other end .and adapted to hold a ,ball', releasable means associated with said holder ".to automatically rotate said "holdento project the ball, and releasable means associated with s'aidfigure adapted to rotate'said figure .to bring the bat int-o .en-. gagement with (the bal'l',.the releasable means associated with one of said rotatable elem'ents being adapted to-actuate the releasable means associated with the other rotatable element; g I V c 2. A device .as set forth in claim 1 in which the figure has adjustable arms carfor releasing the member operating said figure, whereby the ball will first beprojected by the holder and the bat will be swung by the figure to engage th'e'ball.

l. A mechanical toy comprising a base having a figure rotatably mounted at one end supporting a bat, a holder rotatably mounted at the other end of the base for supporting a ball, .a'pair of levers, one of which is connected to the figure and the other to the holder, springs for actuating s id levers, spring arms for engaging the outer ends of said levers, a pivoted lever operatively' connected to the outer .end of one of saidspring arms, and atrigger Opelatively connected to the other of said sprin arms, whereby, when the latter is pulled from engagement with ,its lever, said lever will be turned to rotate the holder-and project the ball and then to engage said pivoted lever to pull the other spring armout of engagement with the other of said levers, whereby its spring willrotate said figure and cause the that carried thereby to engage the ball. V g V 5. A device as set forth in'cla'im '1 in which the holder has its rear end outwardly flared or inclined. I i

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand. V

I WALTER J. SCHMIDL 

